The game was tougher than expected and so were the Waseca Bluejays.

But the team that was expected to win did win.

Behind yet another stellar offensive performance by Laura Hillman, the Albert Lea High School girls’ hockey team defeated Waseca 4-1 in a nonconference game at the City Arena Tuesday night.

Hillman, a freshman, scored all four goals for the Tigers, giving her 46 goals in 22 games this season. Tessa Christensen assisted on two of the scores, running her team-leading assist total to 23. Brittany Arendt also had an assist.

Danika Porter almost had her sixth shutout of the season in the net, with Waseca’s lone goal coming at 9:26 of the third period. Mandy Swenson scored it unassisted.

Albert Lea won for the sixth time in seven games, improving to 15-7 overall. The Bluejays, 9-10, had a four-game winning streak snapped. Waseca had won seven of its previous 10 games and was coming off a 4-2 victory over Marshall on Saturday.

Hillman’s goal 59 seconds into the game, assisted by Christensen, turned out to be the only score in the first period.

Hillman again found the net early in the second, at 1:10, assisted by Christensen and Arendt, and it remained 2-0 until Hillman scored unassisted at 13:06.

Another unassisted goal by Hillman made it 4-0 at 3:54 of the third period.

No penalties were called until 36 seconds left, and it was a double-minor on both teams.

The Tigers, 10-3 in the Big Nine, return to conference action Saturday at Mankato West.